Maintenance station for an imaging apparatus

An imaging apparatus, comprising:

• a frame defining a carrier hard stop position;
• a printhead carrier coupled to said frame;
• a carrier motor drivably coupled to said printhead carrier;
• a controller coupled to said carrier motor, said controller controlling said carrier motor to drive said printhead carrier at least at a first velocity, said printhead carrier being controlled to move toward said carrier hard stop position, wherein prior to said printhead carrier contacting said carrier hard stop position said printhead carrier is controlled to stop at a carrier soft stop position spaced apart from said carrier hard stop position;
• a maintenance sled including a carrier engagement member;
• a maintenance housing coupled to said frame, said maintenance sled being movably mounted to said maintenance housing, said maintenance housing including a first nose portion defining a first latch surface, and having a recessed portion adjacent said first nose portion;
• and
• a sled latch mechanism having a pivot pin pivotablv mounted to said maintenance sled, and having a latch head including a second nose portion, said second nose portion defining a second latching surface, a ramped surface and a transition portion between said second latching surface and said ramped surface,
• wherein when said sled latch mechanism is in a latched state, said transition portion is received in said recessed portion of said maintenance housing but does not contact said maintenance housing, and said first latch surface is in contact with said second latch surface.

An imaging apparatus, comprising:

• a frame defining a carrier hard stop position;
• a printhead carrier coupled to said frame;
• a carrier motor drivably coupled to said printhead carrier;
• a controller coupled to said carrier motor, said controller controlling said carrier motor to drive said printhead carrier at least at a first velocity, said printhead carrier being controlled to move toward said carrier hard stop position, wherein prior to said printhead carrier contacting said carrier hard stop position said printhead carrier is controlled to stop at a carrier soft stop position spaced apart from said carrier hard stop position;
• a maintenance housing coupled to said frame;
• a maintenance sled movably mounted to said maintenance housing;
• a sled latch mechanism having a carrier engagement member positioned for engagement with said printhead carrier, and having a pivot pin pivotably mounted to said maintenance sled along a pivot axis, and having an arm portion extending from said pivot pin;
• and
• a substantially incompressible pivot stop member positioned at about 1 mm to about 4 mm from said pivot axis, said pivot stop member engaging said arm portion of said sled latch mechanism to limit an amount of rotation of said sled latch mechanism about said pivot axis.